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It can be overwhelming writing that first ancestor story. Who do you start with, how do you start? How do you know what to write? The best way to relieve your anxiety is to have a plan in place before you begin to write. Preparation is key.
I encourage you to do some preliminary homework like mapping out your story, or creating a scene guide before you start. I would also suggest gathering the details of your ancestor’s life in addition to some social history of the time and place to help build your story
Take some time before you begin to write your first draft and enlist these 4 steps. Together they will help you to pre-plan your first family history story
draft.
I encourage you to do some preliminary homework like mapping out your story, or creating a scene guide before you start. I would also suggest gathering the details of your ancestor’s life in addition to some social history of the time and place to help build your story.
1.Choose one ancestor, one story
First and foremost, choose a single ancestor to write about. Don’t try to write four hundred years of history or about every ancestor in a single
new writers line in one story. Break your family history down into small manageable chunks; consider one ancestor, one story at a time. Once you’ve chosen the ancestor writers first you wish to start with complete a character profile and develop a timeline of their life. Character profiles help you understand your ancestor intimately and provide you with essential details that will be necessary for bringing to life your ancestor on the page. Timelines help you to identify important moments and accomplishments in your ancestor’s life. Shape the narrative around a big accomplishment.
2. Take some time to outline your story.
Before you begin to write it’s beneficial to know where your story will start and where it will end along with everything in between. If you take some time upfront to plan your story map and outline the critical events in your ancestor’s life, it will go along way to eliminating writer’s block. With a well thought out story plan you’ll know exactly what you need to write each day.
3. Set a daily writing goal
Many first-time writers find themselves dragging out that first draft for weeks, months even sometimes years. Writing a first draft in a reasonable amount of time is about the numbers. Do the math in advance and decide how many words you plan to write daily, giving yourself a realistic deadline for your first draft. By writing daily and with a word count goal, you’ll keep yourself on track to complete your mission, whether it’s a 20,000-word short story for your legacy family history book or an 80,000-word epic family history novel. Identify in advance your project and the wordcount. Do the math. Time yourself. Write a small scene about something you saw yesterday. Just write. Set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes how many words did you write? Multiply that by 4. That is how many words you can write in an hour. Now to complete a 20,000-word story in 30 days, do the math. How long do you need to commit to writing each day? Now, the only thing left is clearing the time in your schedule.
4.Develop a daily writing routine
A daily writing routine is essential to completing a first draft and making writing a part of your life. This is usually where most new writers fall down. By finding the environment, tools, and time of day that works best for you, you can turn writing into a regular part of your everyday life. Habits will help you to center yourself in the writing process quickly and maintain your focus pushing away distractions. Turn off the TV, cell phones and all social media. Create a writing space in your home. If that’s not possible, find a quiet spot at the local library or head to the nearest coffee shop. If one place doesn’t work then try another. But find a space that allows you focused writing time, then commit to a specific time every day.
Remember first drafts are messy. Don’t look for perfection in your first draft. It just about getting the basic story down.